Every little bit helps

Even small amounts of moderate exercise, as little as 15 minutes five days per week, can improve cardiovascular and respiratory health in postmenopausal women who are sedentary and overweight or obese, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

In the study, which involved 464 such women and took placed between 2001 and 2006, participants walked on treadmills and rode stationary bicycles. The women were working at about 50 percent of their maximum capacity — in other words, not vigorously.

Women can get the same results from swimming, playing with their grandkids or other activities similar in intensity to brisk walking, according to study co-author Steven Blair at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health.

Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise five or more days of the week (and many experts agree that 45-60 minutes is better, especially for weight loss), the results of this study may motivate out-of-shape women who are intimidated by those guidelines, said Blair, who previously served as president and CEO of the Cooper Institute in Dallas.